Beyond the Notes | 09. The Mysterious and the Unknown Remain
In a world of certainty, perhaps we might find comfort in facing and accepting the unknown. Maybe we need to cling harder to the mystery and magic we find in our lives and the world around us?
In this series, I share some of the pieces of music which have meant the most to me in my life, and the stories behind why they resonate so strongly within a life lived slowly and simply.
There are some places that remain etched on our memories, not necessarily for the beautiful scenery or stunning visual locations, although of course, they may feature, but for the feeling they leave you with. Something, often felt deep inside our soul, for which we find no explanation. For me, one such place is the north coast of Cornwall, and in particular, Tintagel. It’s a beautiful place too with its sweeping clifftop walks and far-stretching sea, but it also has a particular feeling attached to it, for me, a feeling of mystery. It is steeped in Arthurian myth and legend, Tintagel Castle supposedly being, according to Geoffrey of Monmouth, the place where King Arthur was conceived. Tennyson, Hardy and Swinburne have all been inspired by these rugged cliffs, myth and legend exuding from every crack and crevice. As I explored previously, these small communities are rife with folk-tales and stories.
Whether any of these Arthurian legends are true, remains to be seen. They are much-contested, and hotly debated by academics and historians alike. They are a reminder that there is much we don’t know about our past. For all our modern inventions, time-travel isn’t one of them, leaving much of what happened in years gone by shrouded in mystery. I find this strangely comforting, that in a world which seeks to know and prove everything, we are still forced to accept the mysterious and the unknown.
I’m sure we can all think of those mystical and mysterious places we’ve visited, often places where time has stood still. They leave an impression, sometimes one of unease, for after all, the unknown can be uncomfortable. Whether King Arthur was conceived at Tintagel Castle has little impact on us one way or the other. Perhaps, if eventually it was proved beyond all doubt that he wasn’t, the place and landscape would lose its magic? It was merely character in a play, and the actor turns out to be nothing like them at all.
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In society’s quest to prove and explain everything, it’s easy to lose the magic. Scientists and academics are wheeled out at every possible opportunity to explain seemingly strange phenomena, reassuring the public that nothing is really unknown and that all is easily explainable. Sometimes this is useful, but at other times, it can have the opposite effect. How many slightly shifty and uncomfortable scientists have we seen appear on the news, who seek to explain something which, deep down, they know is unexplainable?
Sooner or later, society may have to unwillingly accept that much remains beyond our control. Much remains unknown, and perhaps that’s a good thing. Perhaps there is a justifiable argument that there are times when it might be better all round to live in blissful ignorance. In a strange way, perhaps people’s fascination with all things fantasy is sought as an antidote to the modern world of proof and explanation? Without the unknown, the mystery and the magic, we stand to lose a large chunk of our emotional beings.
Written between 1914 and 1917, Gustav Holst’s suite, The Planets, concludes with ‘Neptune, the Mystic’. In classical Roman mythology, Neptune was the god of the sea. In astrology, Neptune is associated with tenderness, consciousness, fantasy, peace, idealism, dreams, empathy and sentimentality. The music is irregular and unsettling; dissonant and unsure. Conductor, Geoffrey Toye, said before the first performance that a G# minor and E minor chord played together would “sound frightful”. Holst replied, “What are you to do when they come like that?”. Some things remain unknown. With its undulating mystery, the piece exudes the unknown. As the orchestra fades, the wordless female voices soar and fade into the distance, perhaps an evocation of the end of life. Yet, there is no ending; it remains a mystery.
In a world of certainty, perhaps we might find comfort in facing and accepting the unknown. Much remains beyond our control and there is so much we could never hope to prove. Unsettling as this might seem, we’re left with our imaginations, of dreams, and a never-ending stream of consciousness. I think that we can cling firmly to the magic and mystery of our lives, that somehow, by embracing the unknown, we might find peace. If Neptune was the Roman god of the sea, then the ceaseless blue waters stretch beyond us to infinity, just as the universe, beyond comprehension, never ends. The mystery and the unknown remains, and with them, the magic.
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I love this David. "In society’s quest to prove and explain everything, it’s easy to lose the magic."
Where would it leave ones imagination if everything could be explained. There is a certain mystery and magic in the not knowing.
Such a heartfelt post . Music and special places are so personal to oneself, to control would be to control one’s emotions and what a blessing we are free to feel, ponder and think freely as there is so much to experience ✨